Your replies have done me the world of good so far as they have helped give my procrastination the heave ho! I have three quotes for the transfer and I'm planning to pick one of them this weekend. Essentially it would be point to point transfers vs taking the same car and driver for three days. The later costs a bit more but probably means we can stop where we want and use the car to drive us around Vinales on day two. It's a little more expensive but we are leaning that way.

I'm having difficulty getting hold of the architect in Havana and an academic friend is also working on finding me a connection but at this rate I'm not sure any of it will come to anything. Being patient and going with the flow seems like the theme of this trip - however it works out! Funnily enough we will be in Mexico City next weekend and I haven't thought about that at all - even though it's coming up first!

One bit of good news is that we have Tmobile which gives us free texting and slow data almost everywhere in the world and they've just announced they will be covering Cuba. Though the announcement, a few days ago, said it would start "Sometime this summer". Keeping my fingers crossed but it may be unlikely that it will kick in by May 22nd!

I'm so pleased I've helped and not hindered, WTB.

like you i think that I would tend towards the same car and driver - you can develop a relationship with him [it will be a him, women don't drive in Cuba out of Havana and certainly not professionally] and use him to get around.

on the way from Vinales to Cienfuegos, do see if he will stop at the place I mentioned for lunch/a snack/loo break. I'm sorry I don't know where it was exactly or what it was called but if you mention it's got a small zoo he ought to be able to work it out.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for the T mobile deal too. alternatively, you can buy a special card [$ 10 for 5 hours] from a phone office which will give you wifi access. You can tell where the wifi points are as you'll see people with their iPads and laptops gathered round trying to log on! outside Havana they seem to be in the town squares e.g. in Trinidad it's in the square outside the main hotel and in Cienfuegos it's in the square where the theatre is. The system seemed to be a bit different in Havana but we didn't buy our card to we got to Vinales and when we got back to Havana we only had two nights so we didn't bother.

Thanks Ann, no hinderance here!

I read something about buying a Simcard for wifi, I presumed it was the same system across the country or do you need a different sim in each town?

We are leaning towards hiring the same guy and I promised myself I would sort it out by this evening so I should probably send an email out